Michael Soi Kenya, b. 1972

Biography
akka project, contemporary african art, africa, emerging, venezia, dubai, michael soi, kenya

“My work usually revolves around what Kenyans do or experience but don’t want to discuss” , Mr. Soi said, “I don’t seek change in my work. I document.”

Micahel Soi was born in 1972 in Nairobi, Kenya where he still currently lives and works. 
He is a member of what is known as the second generation of Kenyan artists that emerged through Kuona in the late ’90s among a group of other notable artists of his generation. 
In 1996, Soi began his career as a sculptor and subsequently refined his own visual and artistic vocabulary over the years.
He is best known for his distinct style and his satirical take on topics affecting Kenyans. The most successful bit of his career is the series of work called the FAT CATS that addresses graft as an impediment to the social, political, and economic development of his country, Kenya. This series of 36 pieces were well received by the audience both in his home country Kenya and internationally.
Soi is currently working on a series of paintings that revolve around prostitution and strip clubs in his city, Nairobi, and the denial that revolves around this establishment and the good folk who frequent these establishments. 
His works are present in the Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art in Naples, Italy; The Standard Chartered Bank, UK, and in private collections such as the Luis Moreno Ocampo, Michela Wrong, Atsango Chesoni, Robert Deveraux among others.
Download Artist's CV (PDF, opens in a new tab.)
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